Management is responsible for the success or failure of trainings.  Senior management should provide post support mechanisms that ensure the training becomes meaning and sustainable. As training means development, it will be only successful only if it’s monitored and sustained through management support.

The responsibility for the success of the training rests on the shoulders of the trainer not the trainee.

Here are ways to improve how training is facilitated to assure value returns.

Link training to a specific strategic or tactical goal. With a clear purpose of what training aims to develop, the participant senses what s/he is being trained for and how it relates to achieving the strategic or tactical objectives of his/her job, role and responsibilities.

Bridge through communication. It is also important to communicate what changes or development that need to happen, with emphasis on what the participants will do and not what they will not do.

Involve peer support. Other than senior management support, peer support is equally important. It is necessary that peer coaching be integrated into the program.

Provide post learning information and tools. These are necessary to facilitate and reinforce ongoing peer to peer, as well as supervisor to trainee coaching.

Do not apply pressure. It is a reasonable expectation that managers want immediate results from training programs, but take care since if pressures to deliver results mount, the trainee could revert to the old ways of doing things to enable quick but sub-optimal results.

This then creates a vicious cycle that nullifies the benefits of the training.

Celebrate and reward progress, big or small. For any successful change implementation, celebration is one of the best actions that senior management can take to reinforce behavioral change.

Successful training does not end with the completion of the training program; it signals the beginning of lifelong relevant learning that will make a difference in the business.

Fully Trained Employee Outsourcing – Best trained professionals for direct hire!

Source:

Ortiz, Roberto. "A new look at training."
31 August 2011. The Manila Bulletin.
Accessed 2 September 2011. Link Here.

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The Philippines is growing economically as the world pays attention to Asia as the new “hot region” for business and market opportunities.  The country will become strong through a few key industries such as  infrastructure (power, roads and rails, seaports, telecommunications), manufacturing and logistics, tourism (medical travel and retirement) and business process outsourcing.

This means more jobs opening for the people of the Philippines to capitalize on and contribute to the success of society.

Industries, particularly in Cebu/Central Visayas, are already showing signs of growing business demand with the increase in jobs come from various sectors but it is on the Business Process Outsourcing industry that’s the major source of job opportunities.

To meet this growing rise of job vacancies and match these with eager and qualified job seekers is the new jobsite portal BPO JOBS PHILIPPINES, which specializes in career opportunities within the country’s business process outsourcing sector.

Either employer or job seeker would find the website simple and easy to use as recently added or urgent job listings are featured at its homepage for quick access.

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Job vacancies that are posted are also instantly arranged in categories such as, “Customer Reps”, “Writers”, “Programmers” or by assigned city, like “Cebu”.

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Job vacancies can also be found with the site’s prominent feature, its search engine.

Job seekers and employers can register on the website to post resumes (complete with photo) and job announcements, respectively.

Currently, BPO Jobs PH is starting with career opportunities in Metro Cebu (Cebu City, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu).  The website aims to expand in the next few months to feature job opportunities in the Visayas and Mindanao as the call center industry spreads and grows in those areas.

With the cooperation of its registered members, BPO Jobs Philippines will ultimately have a nationwide coverage on all new job vacancies in the country’s engine for growth and success, the business process outsourcing sector.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) conducts three Organization of International Standards (ISO) seminars to train individuals and to help companies, in Cebu-Philippines thrive in the competitive business environment by meeting world-class operational standards.

The seminars will cover the key basics of these ISO systems and accreditation process, as internationally understood.

The seminars are: Quality Management Systems (QMS) based on the ISO 9001:2008, Environmental Management System (EMS) compliant with the ISO 14001:2004 standards, and the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Standard (OCHSAS) compliant to OHSAS 18001:2007 Standards.

The first module was held on August 11, 2011 at the CCCI Training Room. The QMS 9001:2008 awareness seminar train individuals and companies to develop guidelines for a well-documented total quality system and grasp the eight fundamental principles of quality management necessary for global competitiveness. It encompasses principles of quality management and requirements of ISO 9001:2008 certifications.

The upcoming Environmental Management Systems (EMS) 14001:2004 Awareness Seminar will be scheduled on September 02, 2011 at 1:30PM to 5:00PM at the CCCI Training Room.
Environmental sustainability advocates and those companies whose operations have significant impact to the environment are encouraged to attend.

The seminar instructs on strengthening organizations’ legal compliance to environmental laws, local regulations and international green standards. Participants can avail early registration package until August 22, 2011.

To promote health and workplace risk management, the newest update on OHSAS 18001:2007 also known as Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Standard can help to control occupational health and safety risks found in the workplace.

Aside from concepts of ISO 18001 in an organization, the seminar will train on employee performance improvement through identification of work hazards, risk management, and risk control, as well as to develop better and harmonious relationship within the organization. The said seminar will be on September 07, 2011 at 1:30PM to 5:00PM at the CCCI Training Room.

Jong Fernandez, C.Q.A., Director of Training and Development Services Division of AGF Events, trainings and consulting firm is the primary speaker and facilitator.

Fernandez regularly conducts public and custom in-house programs with over 300-multinational companies backed up by his expertise being a degree holder in Law from the University Of Notre Dame. He is a licensed Professional Certified Quality Specialist conferred by UL University in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

For further information, please direct your inquiries to reach the chamber at 032-232-1421 to 24 local 105/106/112 and look for Mr. Kerwin R. Macopia or email at krmacopia@cebuchamber.org.

Cebu takes immediate action on further improving infrastructure designed for BPO investors, with careful attention on managing the cost of doing business. The city and province is on its toes to manage the human resources supply problem.

Cebu continues to be ahead in solving this problem, a nationwide issue of scarcity of qualified BPO workers in the Philippines. Even as more work must be done in order to improve its ranking, the business environment in Cebu is very conducive and attractive to BPO investors.

The Cebu BPO and Information Technology (IT) prime movers and investment promoters have already planned of coming up with an extensive roadmap to sustain Cebu’s value to the BPO global investors and the world’s outsourcing sector.

Through this BPO/IT roadmap, stakeholders in Cebu commit to specify its real niche in the BPO sector and collaborate with local government, including the support sectors such as academe to implement strong management expectation programs as there is an increasing number of outsourcing firms that look at Cebu as their expansion site.

Cebu is also geared to address the cost of doing business, to sustain its attractiveness to BPO investors.

Stakeholders in Cebu seriously leverage the cost side, leading to attractive rental rates and employees’ pay.

Through operations cost management, BPO stakeholders involve building developers, so that rates of building and office space rental remain attractive.

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The country has done strong efforts in energy efficiency and conservation as energy-intensive companies in the Philippines adopt best practices and energy-efficient technologies.

New economies in the Asia Pacific regions have the strongest potential for direct, new investments; as its economies were less affected when recession hit major economies like the United States in 2008.

There is a growing demand for energy management solutions across all industries in the Philippines, since energy prices increased. Energy demands are projected to double by 2030, of which 70 percent would come from new economies.

There is a strong pressure on conserving energy. Companies can save up to 25% on operation costs if energy-efficient technologies are adopted. These technologies are applicable to energy-intensive companies, like manufacturing and data centers.

Integrated energy management solutions can help companies operate efficiently on less energy.

A lot of companies have been looking at Cebu as an ideal area for expansion, thus there is a strong demand for energy management solutions for all segments in growing industries like business process outsourcing.
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To meet and maintain the demand of qualified human resources in Cebu, Philippines Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector has prompted the establishment of training centers to equip potential BPO workers with employable skills.

These training facilities address the gap between industry requirements on qualified human resources and the graduates produced by the academe.

Skilled workers are important in sustaining the country’s investment growth. The country continues to attract foreign investors because of its competitive labor cost and quality skilled workers.

Other Asian countries have significantly increased their labor cost, making them expensive investment destination for most foreign countries in the West.

The Philippines is more favorable in terms of operations cost. Foreign companies favor Filipino workers because they are easily trainable and hard working.

These call center training centers provide extensive training, for individuals who may want to enter to the growing BPO/call center industry. Training modules include building self-confidence confidence building, improving communication skills and grammar, and being familiar with Western culture, among others.

These accredited training centers invest on top-notch technology and expert trainers in the call center industry to offer technical training and simulation exercises, in order to give its trainees the best buildup and background to ensure employment after completing the course.

At present, these training centers partner with major call center companies in Cebu for human resources requirements. In the long term, these training centers will diversify their courses, other than call center training, to include other modules in software development and other BPO-related skills.

Due to the island province’s strategic location, existing BPO companies in Cebu can get more human resources needs from the neighboring regions and provinces.

It is not only the BPO sector that is upgrading the quality of workers, Cebu’s manufacturing sector is also assisted by training facilities which also offer free college education to deserving workers who are undergraduates. One of these training facilities is Ikon College, Cebu.

The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) approved the college’s application to offer free industrial engineering courses to undergraduate workers. For the future, the school looks to offering other courses.

The programs offered at Ikon College will operate under Dual Training System (DTS), one of the preferred training programs for enterprise-based training in the country.

DTS is an instructional delivery system of technical and vocational education and training that combines in-plant and in-school trainings based on a plan designed and implemented by an accredited system of agricultural, industrial and business establishments.

This facility will serve as an avenue where workers would learn the theories, while their respective workplaces would be their laboratories.

Ikon College also earned accreditation to partner with companies operating under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). Eighteen more training facilities will be opened in locations near economic zones.

Full Time Employee Outsourcing – Qualified and trainable BPO workers for Direct Hire!

Sources:

1. Dagooc, Ehda. "Call Center 101 to address
BPO manpower problems". 4 August 2011.
The Freeman. Accessed 4 August 2011.
Link Here.

2. Cacho, Katlene. "College offers free
education to workers". 31 July 2011.
Sun Star Cebu. Accessed 4 August 2011.
Link Here.

International outsourcing business advisory Tholons trusts Cebu, Philippines is developing further as the premier outsourcing destination in Asia through the improvement of six key areas: 1) workforce, 2) infrastructure, 3) cost, 4) risk profile, 5) business catalyst and the 6) quality of life.

Cebu has made its mark in the global outsourcing industry, graduating in the list of “emerged” cities after constantly topping the “emerging” list for several years.

In assessing Cebu’s human resources, Tholons facilitated a study in which five hundred people from the local BPO industry and the academe were chosen as respondents.

In the business process outsourcing category, Cebu respondents scored well in verbal communication, analytical skills and attention to detail.

In the knowledge process outsourcing category, Cebuanos present their potential on their quantitative abilities.

In information technology outsourcing, Cebuanos show promising aptitude in analytical and quantitative abilities.

The results of the study show that Cebuano students and employees can compete globally, with still some areas for further growth and development.

During the Cebu ICT and BPO Conference 2011, key players in BPO Cebu assure delegates that the island province will get even better as a global outsourcing hub.

Cebu will strengthen its workforce by identifying its bright spots and multiplying them. Schools in Cebu will improve the fundamental skill sets of graduates, significantly increasing their qualifications.

Among the emerged outsourcing city destinations— Cebu has the smallest population, has continued government support, a dynamically-active academe sector with a strong partnership with the private sector, a sustained interest from locators and double digit growth rates for employment and revenues. These factors set Cebu apart from other cities around the world.

With the very same teamwork the different stakeholders have showed, Cebu’s top position in outsourcing will remain solid.

Staff/Employee Outsourcing – Hire Professional Talents at Cost-effective rates!

Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) leads the way in opening more services facilities in Cebu. KPO provides higher-value services that require advanced information search as well as analytical, interpretation and technical skills.

Among the services under KPO are business and financial consulting, legal processes and transcription, health information management, medical and pharmaceutical expertise, intellectual property research, contact centers, creative services, animation and engineering design.

KPO expansion in Cebu, Philippines is to maximize on the advantage of acquiring Cebu’s competitive engineers and their services for clients in Asia and around the world.

The country’s education system is similar to the United States. Cebu, in particular, produces highly-qualified engineers who can serve in the growing demand for technical illustration and parts management, catering to a number of clients, which heavy machinery, engines designer/manufacturer Caterpillar, mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus and automobile giant Honda Motors.

There’s a services market for onshore, near-shore and offshore-based technical information solutions– specifically developed to meet the needs of major equipment and component manufacturers in industrial equipment and transportation, construction, and agricultural equipment industries; the aviation and aerospace industries; and the military.

Extensive parts information database management systems, complex technical illustrations, and designs computer-based training materials and Internet-based information management solutions are required to be created and developed.

To ensure a continuous supply of engineers, KPO and BPO service sectors has established a local academe partnership with the schools and universities in Cebu.

KPO is optimistic in Cebu, the city-province’s business-friendly climate, inexpensive but high-quality workforce and Cebu’s recent recognition as an emerged BPO destination prompted clients to invest work/processes to service providers in Cebu and for other companies to expand operations.

Cebu pledges to improve and increase the pool of highly-qualified skilled workers with technical knowledge so it can lead in the booming KPO sector.

The KPO and back office sectors of Cebu are growing at a faster rate than the voice-based sector, according to the Business Process Association of the Philippines. In the next four or five years, voice and non-voice services can be already offered by all provinces in the Philippines.

Full Time Employee Outsourcing – Direct Hire professional KPO workers!

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) of the Department of Trade and Industry in the Philippines has included the visual arts in its budget, through inviting visual artists to participate in the world trade fairs, and promote their works to the international market.

Qualified Cebuano artists can take advantage of this opportunity as there is now an increasing number of visual artists in Cebu, market for this kind of work of arts are also increasing.

The Cebu market for paintings has improved significantly, boosted by the appreciation of the younger generation to invest in paintings. The more informed and educated new generation market have started to appreciate the local work of arts through paintings, thus demand is becoming dynamic.

Due to lack of support for the creative craft, serious artists do their own promotional campaigns, and participating exhibitions here and abroad required in order to establish their names.

Cebuano visual artists have potential to be worldwide players, if given the right technical support.

Although Cebuano visual artists are very talented, but they need to have a constant technical training and workshop in order to compete with the world’s visual arts industry.

The Cebuano visual artists should be given the right training and adopt new styles and trends in the world’s visual arts industry.

Cebu, as a tourism destination, should be a good venue for visual artists to make their creations sell to the global market.

Full Time Employee Outsourcing – Direct hire Creative Artists in Cebu!

Dagooc, Ehda. "DTI expresses willingness to
help local visual artists." 5 July 2011
The Freeman. Accessed 6 July 2011. Link here.

The Business Processing Association of the Philippines reports that the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines is keen on entering new markets. The BPO sector pushes into new markets such as the United Kingdom and Asia-Pacific.

Because of the growth of the Asia-Pacific region, the sector is looking to capitalize on its language and communication capabilities. The biggest demand is for Korean, Japanese and Chinese Mandarin.

Chinese companies are invited to invest in BPO Philippines, and take advantage of highly skilled English-speaking BPO personnel and support for their businesses.

Chinese companies can benefit from offshoring some company functions to the Philippines, especially those processes that China still had to improve. Certain banking and finance functions, for example, could be done out of the Philippines for China’s overseas clients.

China’s service exports are improving, the Philippines can provide strategic recommendations for China’s service export industry to be more competitive. The Chinese market is huge, and requires support from English-speaking countries like the Philippines to serve clients in the West.

A lot of companies in China need BPO services. Chinese firms can bring their BPO business into the country, a third of Philippine BPO operations could be servicing Chinese companies.

Full Time Employee Outsourcing – Customer contact and communications specialists for direct-hire!

Source: 
Ho, Abigail. "Chinese firms urged to locate BPO
functions in Philippines." 8 June 2011.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Accessed 9 June 2011.
Link Here.